What Is Thermal Imaging?

Thermal Imaging is an invaluable diagnostic tool used for preventative maintenance of electrical equipment. Also known as thermography, it is the production of infrared, or 'heat' pictures and it is an effective means of identifying excessive heat loss in systems or materials.

How Does It Work?

The lowest temperature the human eye can visually detect is approximately 500°C. Typically this would be described as an item being "red hot". Temperatures cooler than that are emitted as infrared waves. An infrared camera detects temperatures in this lower range and produces colourised images which enable us to see the temperature variations in the image.

Infra-Red Heat Energy

Infra-Red heat energy is often released by components, plant or machinery whilst performing at their optimum level. As Infra-Red heat cannot be seen it is difficult to ascertain by touch whether a component is running at normal temperature or is in fact overheating. Since typical electrical failures occur when there is a temperature rise of over 50°C (therefore naked to the eye), thermal image testing, when carrying out routine maintenance visits, provides early detection of potential problems. 

Common Applications

Thermal Imaging is being used in the inspection of electrical equipment to locate high resistance connections or faulty components. It is also being utilised when inspecting rotating machinery and has been proven as an effective method in finding areas of reduced insulation in buildings and refractory materials.  Overall, it has been found to be extremely effective in identifying faults in bearings, couplings, and shorts in motor cores.

The choice is, therefore, between
preventative maintenance or reactive action!